By now you realize that all those thank-you notes could have been mailed last week for two cents less than this week. This gives a whole new meaning to putting your two cents in.

When I take down the holiday decorations after Twelfth Night, I always feel if the whole world seems dark. I do appreciate those of you who keep the pretty lights up during these long winter nights.

Let us hope that last week is a good harbinger for the rest of the winter. I do not mind a little bit of snow that disappears over night. I especially like the kind that I do not have to shovel.

Now that the holidays are mostly over, Islanders are settling in to do what they do best. Many people say that the Island winter sport is local politics. It seems quite apparent from what I hear. Even the aqua exercise class at the Mansion House pool gets into a discussion of who gets elected and who should be appointed to the various political positions around town. This is a good time to remind all of you that democracy is not a spectator sport. You give up your rights to a good government if you do not care enough to get involved in it.

This weekend we celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King. His dream is something all Americans can treasure. We can also hope that the dream is slowly becoming a reality. He also said that life's most urgent question is, "what are you doing for others?" Next Tuesday evening the Martha's Vineyard chapter of the NAACP will host a membership dinner in his honor. Call 508-693-2797 for reservations.

Richard Paradise describes it as one of the strangest romantic comedies of recent time. He is talking about the Sundance and Cannes Film Festival award winner, "Me and You and Everyone We Know." This charming and quirky romantic comedy is entertaining from start to finish. The film features an offbeat performance artist who becomes instantly smitten with a brooding department-store shoe salesman who is having trouble dealing with his divorce and his separation from his two kids. According to a press release, "Performance artist Miranda July's debut feature film brings a fresh perspective to age-old human dilemmas: the longing of children to become adults, the yearning of adults to recapture the innocence of youth, and the difficulty of finding true love at age 7 or 70." The MV Film Society sponsors the film on Saturday at 7:30 pm at the Cornell Theater.

Patricia Wheeler is chairing the Scottish Society's "Burns Nicht" supper on Friday, Jan. 27, at The Harbor View. Toasts are offered throughout the evening, and this year Alan Wilder will give the "Toast to Scots Around the World." Kaye Flathers will present the "Toast to the Laddies," and Bob Wheeler will give the "Toast to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth." Tickets are $45 for members; $50 for non-members. For more information or reservations, call Patricia Wheeler at 508 693-4026.

Belated birthday greetings to Ned Orleans. He partied last Sunday. Big bunches of birthday balloon wishes go out tomorrow to Bob Reinhart, Allan Davey, Sr., and Donna Paulson. We won't even mention that it is Friday the 13th. Saturday is a special day for Tyler Paulson and Harry B Jones. Tuesday belongs to Chuck Downing and Dean Francis Sayre. Happy birthday on Wednesday to Steve Soriano.

Heard on Main Street: "It's great to have a friend to grow old with - you go first."